Schimmel lifts Louisville to 88-61 rout of Memphis

Louisville head coach Jeff Walz, left, talks with Bria Smith during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Memphis Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Louisville head coach Jeff Walz, left, talks with Bria Smith during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Memphis Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) (The Associated Press)

J.J. HYSELL Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Shoni Schimmel didn't like the way that her game started. So Louisville's senior guard gave herself a pep talk midway through the first half and it paid off.

Schimmel scored 29 points, hitting a school-record nine 3-pointers, to lift No. 5 Louisville to an 88-61 win over Memphis on Sunday. She was 9 of 12 from the three-point line and 10 of 16 overall, passing her own record of eight 3s set against South Florida on Jan. 30, 2013.

It didn't start out that well for Schimmel, who missed her first four shots. She went to the bench with 11:41 left in the first half and returned a little over three minutes later, immediately making an impact.

"When I sat down on the bench, I kind of evaluated the whole situation and I thought, 'I'm better than that', so I just went back out there," Schimmel said.

She drilled six 3-pointers in a span of four minutes to lift Louisville to a 35-19 lead with 3:58 left in the first half. Schimmel made eight 3s in the first half and Louisville never looked back. She left the game with 8:55 left to cheers and an ovation from the crowd of 10,345.

"That's a normal day for Shoni Schimmel," said Sara Hammond, who had 13 points and eight rebounds. "To be on this team with a person like her, her skill level and the way she shoots the ball, I'm glad to be on this team and not on the other side."

The Cardinals had 21 assists, and that helped Schimmel's cause.

"Her teammates did a fantastic job of getting her the ball," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. "That's one thing I was really proud of. I told them at a timeout, she's shooting it great but you guys are doing a good job of getting her the basketball."

Walz praised Schimmel's shot selection.

"What excites me for her is she's scored this much before in the past, but it's normally taken here 20, 25 shots," he said. "She took 16 shots tonight ... there weren't many that were forced. That was the same way at Houston and SMU. She's starting to let the game come to her."